Friday, Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed (retd), who was Pakistan’s 31st Chief of General Staff, passed away. As per reports, Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem passed away due to a sudden heart attack.
Lt Gen (Retd) M Haroon Aslam revealed the news on Twitter. He also shared an image of Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem and prayed for him.
“Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed (retd), AK Regiment, left for eternal abode. Very competent officer, great friend & gentleman. In the picture, I am pinning badges of rank of Colonel Commandant along with Gen Raheel Sharif. Will miss him. May he live in eternal peace in Jannah. Ameen.” Lt Gen Haroon Aslam wrote while lamenting the loss.
Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed (retd), AK Regiment, left for eternal abode. Very competent officer, great friend & gentleman. In the pic I am pinning badges of rank of Colonel Commandant along with Gen Raheel Sharif. Will miss him. May he live in eternal peace in Jannah. Ameen. pic.twitter.com/IdE6V9pfsR
— Muhammad Haroon Aslam (@AVeteran1956) September 24, 2021
The comment section of the post flooded with condolences and praise for Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem. People who personally knew him expressed their deep sorrow over the news.
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Lt Gen Ishfaq: The brains behind Operation Zarb-e-Azb
Hailing from Chakwal, Lt Gen Ishfaq served as the Chief of Staff of I Corps, one of Pakistan’s oldest and major Army formations. Additionally, he also led the Second Battle of Swat as General Officer Commander.
Most importantly, Lt Gen Ishfaq made the plans for Pakistan Army’s campaign Operation Zarb-e-Azb during his tenure as Director-General of Military Operations.
Pakistan’s Armed Forces launched a joint military offensive Operation Zarb-e-Azb against various militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, al-Qaeda, Jundallah, and the Haqqani network.
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The operation received widespread support from the Pakistani political, defense, and civilian sectors. As a consequence, the overall security situation improved and terrorist attacks in Pakistan dropped to a six-year low since 2008.
Furthermore, Lt Gen Ishfaq was appointed as the Vice Chief of General Staff and shortly after appointed as the Chief of General Staff. Owing to his military accolades, Lt Gen Ishfaq was set to become the next Chief of Army Staff, however, Qamer Bajwa received the title.
Lt Gen Ishfaq Ahmad later joined Mari Petroleum Company Ltd as Managing Director/CEO on 26 January 2017.
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